Are things really so bad?

[aussiemiller]

I have read multiple threads and posts bagging just about all at RUFC and even calling for Paul Wane to get sacked. Some ridiculous comments and some of our fans should really hang their heads in shame. Support your club FFS and maybe we can get out of this mess. This is the time when the lads need the fans to rally round in droves and create some noise and atmosphere and hopefully galvanize the team. But unfortunately many are chucking the toys out of the pram and saying they aren't going anymore. I would kill to see my team play at our new stadium but health and finances won't permit.

Anyway for what its worth here is my take on the manager's position. Leave it with Warne till the end of the season. We are not down yet. Another manager in now would guarantee the drop for sure. We don't need any more change. Let's get some stability happening.

The 2 muppets before left us in the shi*e with their tactics and/or poor signings and gutless attitudes.

AS & KJ amassed a whopping combined 7 points from 18 games in the league at a mind boggling average of 0.39 points per game

PW has gathered 6 points from 6 games at an average of 1.0 point per game and the players are playing with a lot more passion and effort. If PW continues at 1.0 point per game we will end up with a total of 35 points (13 + 22). So he has proved he is nearly 3 times better than the 2 previous managers ..... give him a chance. He is obviously capable of improving things.

If we sign 4 new players with the raw pace and power that PW has stated he needs and wants and we replace some of the departures as they happen, with PW's man management skills there is no reason he cannot achieve say 1.5 points per game which would give us 46 points (13 +33) at the end of the season. This could give us enough to survive if there are 3 from the teams above us which start to decline which has happened in the past 2 seasons.

If PW keeps us up then I believe he should get the job for the next 2 or 3 seasons as he will have performed a miracle. Let us get behind him and the team and see what they can do.

Or if after some strengthening of the side in this window we show further improvement then wait until its mathematically impossible for us to stay up before re-evaluating the manager's position. If we stay up or only just miss out then Warney deserves to stay. If there is no further improvement start looking for new manager when the facts state we are relegated. Whatever happens PW should be given a guarantee he can step into some other full time job at the club or return to his former position as fitness coach if he vacates the managers position at some time in the future.

Its not all doom and gloom so get behind PW and the lads and see what a UNITED Rotherham can achieve. And those of you who do attend matches ..... give a few shouts for those like myself who can't attend. i listen on Millers Player every game or watch live streams if available.

Onwards & Upwards

[animallittle3]

Maybe if you attended the games you might understand the frustration .

[aussiemiller]

I do get the frustration and i do watch the highlights and full games on Millers Player and from what i can see since Warne took over the effort has shown marked improvements. Still some silly errors to be cut out but i think some wise additions will change that to a large extent if the new player recruitment guy and software the club has bought can identify players that meet Warne's requirements and we are able to get some quality and pace in within our budget.

I think Wane has done a reasonable job considering what he has had to work with. Lets see what happens after he picks up a few new faces over the next couple of weeks. 3 or 4 decent players might make quite a difference.

We have only been losing recent matches by the odd goal and the players' confidence is improving so if we can turn those losses into wins or draws and we get a bit of luck along the way then hopefully staying up won't be beyond us. Time will tell.

Just trying to post something positive on here. Negativity and apathy won't get us anywhere. If everyone supports the team and try to give the lads a lift instead of slagging off we might get somewhere. There have been some constructive thoughts and ideas and I think if everyone pulls together maybe we can turn it around.

[MagyarMiller]

You make an interesting case Aussie, and it's nice reading a bit of positivity. You've almost got me believing we can do it.

Problem is we really need to be beating the teams who are around us, and we seem to keeping missing these opportunities, like we did with Burton.
The others seem to pick up handy points every now and then, when they're not expected to as well, which keeps maintaing the big gap just to catch up the third bottom team, let alone surpass them.
We see all the time, we need to get this amount of points or that amount of points but the reality is, what we really need is 1 point more than the team who finish third bottom.
But we need to closing the gap now not trying to do miracles at the end of season with 4 and 5 match winning streaks.
You make a good point about reducing the losing deficit in games, but unfortunately the damage is already done in that respect, so a defeat is still a defeat and another game gone. Although your point is probably taking the positives from the improvement in performance rather than how it is affecting the goal diff.

I think the the gap is just too big now we've got into the new year.
Even if PW's win ratio stays the same or even improves, it's too reliant on 3 or more other teams all losing a lot of games at the same time.
Obviously none have been winning that many, that's why they're down there with us, and a couple will be relegated as well, but as regards us they've got the points in the bag which gives them a much more realistic chance of survival, than we have.

[aussiemiller]

You make an interesting case Aussie, and it's nice reading a bit of positivity. You've almost got me believing we can do it.

Problem is we really need to be beating the teams who are around us, and we seem to keeping missing these opportunities, like we did with Burton.
The others seem to pick up handy points every now and then, when they're not expected to as well, which keeps maintaing the big gap just to catch up the third bottom team, let alone surpass them.
We see all the time, we need to get this amount of points or that amount of points but the reality is, what we really need is 1 point more than the team who finish third bottom.
But we need to closing the gap now not trying to do miracles at the end of season with 4 and 5 match winning streaks.
You make a good point about reducing the losing deficit in games, but unfortunately the damage is already done in that respect, so a defeat is still a defeat and another game gone. Although your point is probably taking the positives from the improvement in performance rather than how it is affecting the goal diff.

I think the the gap is just too big now we've got into the new year.
Even if PW's win ratio stays the same or even improves, it's too reliant on 3 or more other teams all losing a lot of games at the same time.
Obviously none have been winning that many, that's why they're down there with us, and a couple will be relegated as well, but as regards us they've got the points in the bag which gives them a much more realistic chance of survival, than we have.

Thanks MagyarMiller

We always seem to have trouble beating those teams around us, teams that we should be beating, as you point out. That seems to be our lot in life as a Miller, beating those we shouldn't be beating and losing to those we should beat. I am pinning my hopes on a couple of other teams dropping like a stone, as usually happens. I just hope PW can strengthen the side this window. We are definitely short on pace and power so if he can add that with players who want to play for the shirt maybe the others in the team might buy into that and make us a lot harder to beat.

Warne had his hands tied till yesterday and did the best he could with what he had. That was almost three times better than AS and KJ. He knows what he wants and needs. I just hope he gets it. Where was the pace and power and desire recruited by the other two? At least he can see what has been lacking.

Maybe with Warne we might see a team that knows and appreciates what it is to be a proper Rotherham United Team. We need players that will bleed for the shirt, not players that are sicknotes or collecting a last pay day. Warne is a very proud Miller and I for one think he will instill that in the players. If TS had handed the reigns to him at the start of the season things might have been very different. I don't think for a minute he would have been throwing 3 year contracts at the likes of the dross that AS wasted the budget on. I believe he should be given a go till end of season or rethink it when/if its impossible to stay up. If he has done ok then give him the ability to recruit further in the summer and build his own team. If he fails miserably then give a new manager an early start. He deserves a chance based on his efforts so far. Its not his fault we are in this mess, its been created by the pill*cks before him.

I also think TS has been trying to turn things around. He got Warnock in to provide the miracle last year. The fans have been moaning for years about the 6 month and 1 year deals we were signing. TS listens and give us a longer term plan. Employed a manager and gave him a 3 year mandate to work towards. We start handing out 3 year contracts to get some stability and now fans are criticising that. The three year deals are great for stability and development. Just AS bottled it with rank bad selections such as Blackstock etc. If we can offload some of those and PW can get better in to replace them then that will be a great start and hopefully things will be better and hopefully we will have enough time to get out of jail. We will all know better in 3 or 4 weeks where we are headed. Lets show some patience and get behind Warney and TS and the lads and help lift them to greater heights.

There are still 66 points to play for ..... we probably only need 33 to 37 of those if we get our recruiting right this window

Hope I am right

[PeteWaller]

Sorry Aussie, you may be in the sunshine but here in the real world, the football is dull and diabolical, the club is in free fall and we are down under, straight into L1. There is no stopping this I'm afraid. The fat lady has sung and my advice to PW is to scoot asap back to his fitness coach position. There was a point when I felt he thought he might be up for it. He shouldn't allow himself to do this. Nice bloke, Rotherham through and through but no manager. He managed to rally a squad of players full of under achievement where an absolute total lack of confidence reigns into a unit that fought ............. for a while. If we cannot beat a team like Burton, at home, then we no longer deserve to tread the waters of the Championship. It is Game Over.

[flourbasher]

IF we had beaten Burton both home and away we would have been one point from safety at 10pm last thursday. Both of those games were there for the taking.
The problem is that we weren't good enough on the day to win either and that's not just the result - the performances weren't good enough either.
Yes we had chances early on during both of these games but after Burton scored their first at their place and the NYS they never really looked like losing their lead.
That's been the pattern for the season season

[jocksgloves]

People get Mardy when their team starts losing and lash out at easy targets. Chairman, training ground etc. Things that nobody notices when your side is winning. Our time in this division is always limited, due to the size of our club. We have avoided the drop for two seasons, this time our luck has run out.
I, for one, don't mind which league we play in, as long as we are competitive, which we clearly aren't in this division. No problem with folk sounding off on here, don't take it to the ground.

[rileyev.the.third]

My sentiments entirely Jocks.

Looking forward to next season as I've pretty much written this one off.

I reckon we'll have a squad to be competitive next season which will hopefully lead to a better experience for all of us.

[leedsmiller]

Lot to look forward to in August, cheap season tickets, cheap away prices, re*****ised squad, more wins...the future's bright